Rory McIlroy Withdraws from Bay Hill with Back Spasms Ahead of Players Championship and Masters

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rory McIlroy pulled out of the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday after experiencing persistent muscle spasms in his lower back that did not subside during warm-ups and early practice, reports customreceipt.com via ESPN. The four-time major champion, who had been preparing to defend his Players Championship title next week, was heading to his home in South Florida for recovery.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back,” McIlroy explained in a statement released to the PGA Tour. “Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”

This marks McIlroy’s first significant back issue since the 2023 Tour Championship, where he managed discomfort while tying for fourth in the FedEx Cup finale. Following that event, he competed in two tournaments in Ireland and England before leading Europe to victory at the Ryder Cup with a 4-1 record.

McIlroy’s withdrawal came roughly 30 minutes before his scheduled tee time on Saturday. He was practicing on the range in warm Bay Hill conditions when he realized the spasms would not subside. This was only the third time in McIlroy’s professional career that he has had to withdraw from a tournament. Previously, he left the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2009 due to flu and food poisoning and withdrew from the Honda Classic in 2013 after citing a sore wisdom tooth and later explaining his mental focus was not optimal.

This week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational was McIlroy’s fifth event of the year, following two tournaments in Dubai and his appearances at Pebble Beach and Riviera. He also played at Augusta National just over a week ago, returning for the first time since winning the Masters, and earlier this week teamed with his father to win the Seminole Pro-Member in South Florida. McIlroy now prepares for a demanding stretch of the golf calendar that will culminate at the Masters on April 9, where he will enter as the defending champion after completing his career Grand Slam last year, becoming only the sixth player to achieve this milestone.

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